Vicor Power Modules for UAV
Vicor Power Modules offer increased payload capability and flight times for commercial unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) applications. UAVs' size, weight, and power (SWaP) are a major contributor to their design and directly affect UAV companies regarding payload capability and flight time. UAV size and weight are influenced by the power delivery network (PDN). Increasing the range, functionality, and payload is easier with a lightweight, high-density, high-efficiency DC-DC power delivery solution. Vicor Power Modules allow the rapid deployment of power delivery and DC-DC power conversion across a wide range of power levels and voltages for both onboard systems and ground control.
Videos
Tethered, Aerial, & Underwater
These unmanned vehicles are controlled and powered via a tether from a ground-based power source. A high voltage tether transmission of 500V to 800V achieves greater tether lengths and smaller cabling, enabling the drones to fly higher or travel longer distances underwater. The PDN inside the vehicle must be able to down-convert the tether's high voltage with high efficiency and power density to not take up crucial payload space. Typical tethered drone applications require a 1kW to 5kW ground power supply tether to a rotor-wing UAV or UUV and feature greater control and unlimited run time.
Power Delivery Network
The BCM4414 is a power solution that enables optimized system performance and provides 1.8kW of power for either step-up or step-down conversion at 97% efficiency. It allows the power system designer to significantly reduce the size and weight of both the ground supply and UAV and the weight and diameter of the tether itself. This feature results in a more capable and flexible system that can be easily transported to the operating location.
PDN UAV Tethered
Untethered UAV
Untethered UAVs rely on a battery, fuel cell, or solar power, making greater demands on tradeoffs to meet payload performance and range specifications. These particular sources of power deliver widely varying or nonlinear output voltages that are handled better with delivery solutions and power conversions that use non-traditional topologies instead of pulse width modulation (PWM).
Power Delivery Network
ZVS Buck and Buck-Boost Regulators are downstream of the BCM4414 and offer board-level designers maximum power density and flexibility for high-efficiency point of load DC-DC regulation. These regulators feature Zero-Voltage Switching (ZVS) topology and are integrated with control circuitry, power semiconductors, and support components. ZVS regulators provide a high switching frequency by reducing the size of the external filtering components, improving power density while enabling fast line and load dynamic response.
PDN Commercial UAV Untethered
Unmanned Aircraft
This class of UAVs depends on solar power to meet their long flight time requirements. Solar power systems rely on Maximum Power-Point Tracking (MPPT) circuitry to harvest solar energy at the optimum voltage. Once the energy is harvested, it is converted to a voltage suitable for charging a secondary battery or delivery to a power system's intermediate bus network. UAVs for communications develop high efficiency and power-conversion topologies such as Zero Voltage Switching (ZVS) and Zero Current Switching (ZCS), which enable the widening variety of fuel sources and applications with increasing power challenges.
Power Delivery Network
The BCM6123 and PI3741 ZVS Buck-Boost regulator combination provides a tightly regulated 28V output for various UAV loads. In this combination, the BCM6123 offers the isolated conversion of the 350V to a 48V intermediate bus, while the PI3741 Buck-Boost regulator features a wide range of input voltage operating capabilities.
PDN/UAV Communications
Features
- Power density of 1000W/in3
- Power to weight ratio of 16.7W/gram
- Up to 98% efficiency
- Rapidly design and deploy PDNs
Specifications
- BCM4414
- Fixed ratio DC-DC converter
- 500V to 800V input range
- 31.3V to 50V output range
- Up to 35A current
- 110.5mm x 35.5mm x 9.4mm
- ZVS Buck Regulators
- 12V, 24V, or 48V input ratings
- 1V to 16V output range
- Up to 22A current rating
- As small as 7mm x 8mm x 0.85mm
- BCM6123
- Fixed ratio DC-DC converter
- 260V to 410V input range
- 32.5V to 51.3V output range
- Up to 25.7A current
- 63mm x 22.8mm x 7.2mm
- PI3741 ZVS Buck-Boost Regulator
- 21V to 60V input range
- 21V to 36V output range
- Up to 140W power
- 14mm x 10mm x 2.6mm
Additional Resources
Case Studies
- 5G Indoor Small-Cell Base Station: High-Density Power Allows for Unobtrusive Base Stations
- Autonomous Warehouse Robot: High-Efficiency Converters Help Maximize Run-Time
- Security Robot: More Patrolling, Less Recharging
- Media and Entertainment UAVs: Flexible, Scalable Power Delivery Networks Can Adapt to the Right Audio and Video Equipment
- Agricultural UAVs: Enabling Greater Functionality for Reliability and Productivity
- Surveillance UAVs: Extend Flight Times and Support High-Performance Surveillance Equipment to Ensure Safety and Security
- Fixed-Winged HALE UAV: Aircraft gets an 11kW Power Supply the Size of a Tablet Computer
- Tethered Underwater ROV: DC-DC Transformer Facilitates Implementation of Longer Tether
- Wireless Battery Charger: One Wireless Charger for All Robots
- Unmanned Aircraft for Communications: High-Efficiency, High-Density Modules Free Up Space for Advanced Communications and Extend Range
- Delivers UAVs: Extending Delivery Missions and Saving Space for Greater Payload
- Inspection UAVs: Lightweight Power Delivery Networks Enable Maneuverable UAVs to Inspect Remote, Wide Operations
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